Car-coupling



(No Model.)

B. F. PENDEXTER.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 341,684. Patented May 11 1886. Fijyi. .1

I i iiiIII I//[ Witness as, Invem/ o r,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

EDWARD F. PENDEXTER, OF MILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SIEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,684, dated IvIay11, 1886,

Application filel August 21, 1885. Serial No. 174,933. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, EDWARD F. PENDEXTER, of Milford, county of \Vorcester,and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement inGar-Couplings, of which the following description, in connection withthe accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on thedrawings representing like parts.

My invention is embodied in a car-coupling device in which theco-operating draw-heads are provided with books, which automaticallyinterlock when the cars come together. The outer or strikingfaces of thehooks,which come in engagement in the act of coupling, besides beinginclined to the axis of the draw-head or line ofstrain, as is usual incouplings having hooks, are also inclined to the vertical direction, thehook being wider at the upper portion of the engaging shoulder than atthe lower portion thereof, so that when the hooks come together in theoperation of coupling each tends to throw the upper portion of the otheraside, thus giving the draw-head a rotary movement about itslongitudinal axis, and as soon as the hooks have passed one another theycome into engagement by a rotary movement in the opposite direction.

The drawheads are provided with handles or arms, to enable a person toimpart a rotary movement to them for the purpose of disengaging them,and thus are coupled and uncoupled with a rotary movement instead ofbeing moved bodily aside, as in couplings heretofore made. Eachdraw-head and hook is provided with a guard having its inner faceopposite the open side of the hook inclined, so as to be substantiallyparallel with the striking face of the hook or portion engaged by theopposite hook in the operation of coupling, while the outer side of eachhook, at the back of the engaging shoulder, is substantially vertical,and is thus confined by the guard of the opposite coupling and preventedfrom moving laterally out of the engagement with the cooperating hook,although the inclination of the inner faces of the guards permits thehooks to be engaged and disengaged by a rotary movement. The drawheadsare adapted to transmit a thrusting or pushing force as well as apulling force.

Figurel is a side elevation and longitudinal section of a portion of twocars provided with coupling devices embodying this invention; Fig. 2, aplan view of the coupling devices as seen when engaged with one another;Fig. 3, an end elevation of one of the coupling devices; and Figs. 4 and5, transverse sections on the plane of engagement of the shoulders ofthe hooks, showing the operation when the parts are in differentpositions, to be referred to.

The cooperating coupling devices on the two cars A Aare preciselysimilar to one another, and the corresponding parts will be indicated bythe same letters, those of the one car being distinguished by theaccent-mark, (C) The draw-bars a a may be connected with the car-bodiesin the usual way, so as to transmit either a pulling or pushing force tothe car. The shank portions of the draw-bars are circular incrosssection and adapted to turn about their longitudinal axes or theline of strain of the pulling or pushing force transmitted to the car,their rotary movement in one direction beinglimitcd by a suitablestopping device, I), when the hooked ends of the said draw-bars aresubstantially horizontal. Each draw-bar is provided at its end with ahook, c 0, having an engaging shoulder, d d, which interlock with oneanother, as shown in Fig. 2, when the cars are coupled, and strikingface 0 c. inclined with relation to the longitudinal axis of thedraw-bar, as best shown in Fig. 2, and also inclined with relation tothe vertical plane, as shown in Fig. 3, the up per part of the engagingshoulder d (2 being wider than the lower part, so that when the twostriking faces come in contact in the pro cess of coupling they engageonly at the top of the drawbar, instead of through the entire height ofthe hook, as usually takes place. The neck or shank ff, just inside ofthe engaging shoulder, has its sides substantially vertical andparallel, as best shown in Fig. 4,

and the entire outer face, 9 g, at the back of 5 the hook is alsosubstantially vertical. Each draw-head is also provided with a guard, ith, having its inner face opposite the hook inclined in the samedirection as the striking face of the hook, there being sufficientdistance between the upper portion of the inner surface of the guard atthe point 2 (see Fig. 3)

and the extremity of the hook-shoulder at the point 3 to receive thewidest part of the hook of the opposite coupling, while the lowerportion of the inner surface of the guard at the point 4 will justengage the back of the opposite coupling. Thus when the two couplingscome together in the act of coupling the part of the guard at the point4 of each coupling prevents the lower portion of the opposite couplingfrom moving laterally, as will be readily understood from Fig. 5, whichshows the parts in the position assumed just before the shoulders d (1come in engagement, although there is suficient distance at the upperpart of the guard to permit the upper part of the other coupling to turnaside with a rotary movement in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, itbeing thus forced aside by the striking face of the opposite hook, andas soon as it has passed the end of the shoulder of the opposite hook itwill drop with a rotary movement in the direction opposite to the arrow,Fig. 5, bringing the shoulders of the two hooksinto engagement with oneanother, as shown iuFig. 2.

If in the running of the train one coupling rises above the level of theother, as shownin Fig. 4, the point of the guard of the higher couplingengaging the back side, g of the hook of the other coupling will holdthe engaging shoulders of the two hooks in contact, and the guard h atall times prevents the bodily lateral movement of one draw-head or hookwith relation to the other, as shown in Fig. 4.

The drawheads are weighted, so as to cause them to turn by the action ofgravity in the direction opposite the arrow, Fig. 5, or so as to causethe upper portions of the engaging shoulders to turn toward one another.The guard It being at one side of the axis of rotation of the draw-head,will tend to turn it in this direction, and the draw-head is stillfurther weighted by the handle or arm n, which extends to the side ofthe car, and is used by the operator to turn the coupling in thedirection of the arrow, Fig. 5, for the purpose of disengaging the hooksor uncoupling the car. The downward movement of the said arm is limitedby the stop I) when the couplings are in their normal or horizontalposition.

The recess 1' at the junction of the shank of the hook with the guard hreceives the end of the opposite hook, which is thus capable oftransmitting a thrust from one car to the other, as well as a pullingforce, thus preventing the necessity of independent yielding bunters.

The hooks may be provided with a slot, t,

and opening, a, to receive the usual coupling link and pin when theopposite car is not provided with a corresponding automatic coupling.

If desired to push a car without engaging it with another, one of thedraw-heads may be supported in an inclined position, as shown in Fig. 5,by raising the handle 12 and engaging it with a proper support at theend of the car.

It will be understood that when the couplings come into engagement therotary movement will not be limited to one draw-head, as shown in Fig.5, but will generally be divided between the two, although it issufficient for the purpose of disengaging the draw-heads that one onlyshould be turned, as shown in Fig. 5.

I claim- 1.. In an automatic car-coupling device, a draw-head capable ofrotary movement about its axis, having a hook the engaging shoulder ofwhich is wider at one end than at the other, combined with a guard whichengages the back of the hook of the co-operating or opposite coupling,theinner face of the said guard being inclined and preventing bodilylateral movement of the opposite hook, but permitting a rotary movementthereof, and a stop limiting the rotary movement of the drawhead,substantially as described.

2. In an automatic car-coupling device, a hook having an inclinedstriking face, com- 'bined with a guard which engages the back of thehook of the co-operating or opposite coupling, the inner face of thesaid guard being inclined and preventing a bodily lateral movement ofthe opposite hook, but permitting a rotary movement thereof,substantially as described.

3. An automatic carcoupling device comprising a drawhead capable ofrotary movement about its axis, and having a hook, the striking face ofwhich is inclined with relation to the axis of the draw-head, and alsoto the vertical plane, combined with a handle for turning the draw-head,thev weight of which handle tends to turn the draw-head in onedirection, and a stop engaging the said handle andlimiting the rotarymovement of the drawhead, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD F. PENDEXTER.

\Vitnesses:

J 0s. 1?. LIVERMORE, JAS. J. MALONEY.

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